RMAC Tournament: No. 4 CSU-Pueblo 6, No. 5 Regis
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Related: RMAC
Tournament Bracket
Related: NCAA
Central Region Rankings
DENVER, Colo. - A three-run first inning by the ThunderWolves
laid the groundwork for a 6-4 win over Regis Thursday morning in
the first-round of the RMAC Softball Tournament, being held at
Metro State College in Denver.
The win sets up a showdown with the tournament's host, Metro
State, at 9:30 a.m. Friday morning at Metro State College in
Denver. The RMAC Softball Tournament is a double-elimination
tournament.
Kayla
Dionese (Fr., Pueblo, Colo.) drove home the Pack's
first runs with a base-clearing double to right centerfield,
sending Janine Tyler (Sr.,
Pueblo, Colo.) and Ashley Aldrich
(Sr., Sahuarita, Ariz.) across the plate as CSU-Pueblo
took a 2-0 lead.
The Pack's first inning edge was extended to 3-0 after
Justine
Bosio (Fr., Santa Barbara, Calif.) sent Dionese home
with an RBI single.
The Pack's three-run first inning undid a successful opening
frame by Regis, who jumped out to a 1-0 lead after connecting on
two hits in the first inning.
Regis closed the edge to 4-2 in the third inning, but CSU-Pueblo
added an insurance run in the fifth as Bosio singled home
Dionese.
The Pack lead was secured as Katie Johnson (Sr.,
Bonney Lake, Wash.) hit a leadoff home run in the sixth
inning, part of a two-run sixth have gave the Pack a 6-3 advantage.
Pitcher Amber Higby (Sr.,
Pueblo, Colo.), recently named a third-team all-RMAC
selection Tuesday, allowed four runs on six hits in a complete game
performance, with three runs being earned. Higby set a career
high in strikeouts, fanning six Ranger batters.
Note: CSU-Pueblo, which entered the tournament
ranked sixth in the Central Region, solidified its chance
for a Regional Tournament bid with the win over Regis.
The region's top eight teams make the tournament, and CSU-Pueblo
sat at sixth while Regis was at 7th, greatly improving their
chances of a bid, win or lose in the tournament. The Pack's
opponent Friday, Metro State, is the second-ranked team in the
region.
